Project ACE: Active, Connected and Engaged Neighbourhoods

背景和目的：老年人低水平的体力活动与许多生理和心理健康问题有关。然而，老年人仍然是所有年龄段中最不活跃的群体。提供支持增加体力活动的计划可能代价高昂。然而，一种成本较低的选择是使用志愿者来提供此类计划。有一些证据表明，以志愿人员为基础的体育活动促进计划产生了积极影响，但缺乏完善的和经过评估的计划。积极互联参与项目(Project ACE)旨在开发和评估一种实用、可持续和低成本的使用志愿者促进积极老龄化的模式。然而，在我们为一项大型试验(大约200万人)付出代价之前，重要的是要确保评估其影响的方法和程序将按预期发挥作用。ACE方案：ACE方案是基于最新的证据，即什么最有效地促进和维持老年人的体力活动。该方案包括两次会议，以吸引参与者并帮助他们了解增加体力活动的好处。然后，参与者将从当地社区提供的各种体育活动中进行选择。ACE激活者将与参与者再见面最多3次，以审查进展情况，并帮助确定和克服他们可能遇到的任何障碍。两名受薪邻里协调员将帮助确定和培训20名ACE志愿者，并确定当地进行体育活动的机会。方法：在项目的第一阶段，我们将制定ACE方案、志愿者培训课程和邻里协调员的角色。在第二阶段，将通过广告宣传和在当地活动中进行推广，招募100名年龄在65岁至85岁之间、体力活动水平较低的老年人。我们将通过对患者群体和干预服务人员的采访，了解人们对该计划的看法，哪些方面效果好，哪些方面不好，以及如何改进。其他信息将帮助我们计划未来的试验(例如招聘和出席率)。服务使用者参与：两名公众将就招聘、测量和干预方法提供建议，解释调查结果并向公众解释调查结果。

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Low levels of physical activity in older people are associated with a number of physical and mental health problems. However, older people remain the least active of all age groups. Providing programmes to support increased physical activity can be expensive. However, one lower-cost option is to use volunteers to deliver such programmes. There is some evidence of positive effects in volunteer-based physical activity promotion schemes, but there is a lack of well-developed and evaluated programmes. The Active Connected Engaged Project (Project ACE) aims to develop and evaluate a practical, sustainable and low cost model of using volunteers to promote active ageing. However, before we go to the expense of a large trial (around #2million), it is important to make sure that the methods and procedures for assessing its impact are going to work as intended. THE ACE PROGRAMME: The ACE programme is based on the latest evidence about what works best in promoting and sustaining physical activity in older people. The programme involves two meetings to engage participants and help them to understand the benefits of increased physical activity. Participants will then choose from a variety of physical activities that are available in their local community. An ACE activator will meet the participant up to 3 further times to review progress and to help to identify and overcome any obstacles they may encounter. Two paid neighbourhood co-ordinators will help to identify and train the twenty ACE volunteers and to identify local opportunites for physical activity. METHODS: In the first stage of the project, we will develop the ACE programme, the volunteer training course and the role of the neighbourhood co-ordinator. In the second stage, 100 older adults aged 65?85 years with low levels of physical activity will be recruited through advertising campaigns and through promotion at local events. We will use interviews with groups of patients and intervention delivery staff to find out what people thought about the programme, what worked well or badly and how it might be improved. Other information will help us to plan the future trial (e.g. recruitment and attendance rates). SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT: Two members of the public will advise on recruitment, measurement and intervention methods, interpreting the findings and explaining the findings to the public.